An evaluation of virtual ethics discussion groups as a method of learning on a pharmacist Independent Prescribing (IP) programme.

Background And Purpose: A postgraduate body within Queen's University Belfast (QUB) has offered a pharmacist Independent Prescribing (IP) programme to pharmacists living locally in Northern Ireland (NI) since 2006. In 2016, this course was modified and delivered by the School of Pharmacy within QUB for a non-local population of pharmacists from Great Britain (GB). In order to substitute face-to-face, live training in NI, distance learning methods were employed for one of the modules that involved studying ethical dilemmas.

Ultraviolet Irradiation of Skin Alters the Faecal Microbiome Independently of Vitamin D in Mice.

Reduced sunlight exposure has been associated with an increased incidence of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. The effect of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) on the faecal microbiome and susceptibility to colitis has not been explored. C57Bl/6 female mice were fed three different vitamin D-containing diets for 24 days before half of the mice in each group were UV-irradiated (1 kJ/m²) for each of four days, followed by twice-weekly irradiation of shaved dorsal skin for 35 days.

High Dose Vitamin D supplementation alters faecal microbiome and predisposes mice to more severe colitis.

Vitamin D has been suggested as a possible adjunctive treatment to ameliorate disease severity in human inflammatory bowel disease. In this study, the effects of diets containing high (D++, 10,000 IU/kg), moderate (D+, 2,280 IU/kg) or no vitamin D (D-) on the severity of dextran sodium sulphate (DSS) colitis in female C57Bl/6 mice were investigated. The group on high dose vitamin D (D++) developed the most severe colitis as measured by blinded endoscopic (p < 0.

"It just made me feel so desolate": Patients' narratives of weight gain following laparoscopic insertion of a gastric band.

Aims And Objectives: To describe the experiences of patients who have failed to maintain weight loss following the insertion of a laparoscopic adjustable gastric band (LAGB) for the treatment of morbid obesity.

Background: Obesity is a global health problem resulting in physical, psychological and economic problems and presenting challenges for health services. Surgical intervention is an increasingly common approach to treatment; however, some patients do not sustain their weight loss following bariatric surgery and little is known about people's longer-term experiences following LAGB insertion.

Prostaglandin E₂ and polyenylphosphatidylcholine protect against intestinal fibrosis and regulate myofibroblast function.

Background: Intestinal fibrosis is a serious and often recurrent complication of inflammatory bowel disease despite surgical intervention. The anti-fibrotic potential of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and polyenylphosphatidylcholine (PC) was investigated using the murine model of 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced chronic intestinal inflammation and fibrosis, and murine and human intestinal myofibroblasts.

Methods: Mice were treated with TNBS enemas weekly for 2 or 6 weeks ± PGE2 (10 mg/kg/day orally) or PC (200 mg/kg/day orally).

Secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) exacerbates colonic inflammatory symptoms in dextran sodium sulphate-induced murine colitis.

Background: Secreted Protein Acidic and Rich in Cysteine (SPARC) is expressed during tissue repair and regulates cellular proliferation, migration and cytokine expression. The aim was to determine if SPARC modifies intestinal inflammation.

Methods: Wild-type (WT) and SPARC-null (KO) mice received 3% dextran sodium sulphate (DSS) for 7 days.

Indomethacin and retinoic acid modify mouse intestinal inflammation and fibrosis: a role for SPARC.

The mouse model of 2,4,6-Trinitrobenzene Sulfonic Acid (TNBS)-induced intestinal fibrosis allows for detailed study of the extracellular matrix changes that complicate Crohn's disease. Indomethacin induces intestinal fibrosis, while retinoic acid (RA) reduces liver fibrosis. Secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC), an extracellular matrix-modifying agent, may potentially link these opposing effects.